Are liberal arts really useless?
2024-08-10
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□Zhou Bingkun (School of Marxism, South-Central University for Nationalities)
On August 7, People magazine published an article titled "What is the use of liberal arts?" Subsequently, the related topic quickly became a hot search on Weibo, sparking heated discussions. The author interviewed Zhu Guohua, dean of the School of International Chinese Language and Culture at East China Normal University, and mentioned why he chose "What is the purpose of liberal arts" as the theme of his speech at the school's graduation ceremony this year. He explained, "Talking about what is the purpose of liberal arts is actually treating liberal arts as a solution."
This statement seems contradictory, but it actually reflects the embarrassing situation of liberal arts today. When we type the word "liberal arts" on the Internet, the search results that pop up are "liberal arts slippage", "liberal arts employment", "liberal arts crisis", "liberal arts marginalization", "liberal arts has no future", etc. Every year after the college entrance examination, when filling out the application form, a "liberal arts vs. science debate" inevitably breaks out on Weibo. Many netizens also joked: "The last time the liberal arts flourished was during the Song Dynasty."
But jokes are jokes after all, and we still have to delve into the issues behind them. When choosing liberal arts or science in high school, we all asked ourselves these two questions: "Are the subjects I chose what I am willing to learn?" "How will the subjects I chose develop in the future?" Perhaps we still cannot answer these two questions. However, this does not prevent us from starting the next stage of study. After the college entrance examination, I didn't know how to fill in the application form, and wanted to find help from seniors on the Internet, but found that every major was "accurately stepped on thunder". At this time, what should we do?
In fact, at this time, we might as well ask ourselves: "What do you like?" "What do you want to do?" Unfortunately, in today's rapidly developing society, many people's "Do you want to?" has become "Can you?" When I chose liberal arts, I was deeply attracted by the charm of language and words. But later I found that I had to memorize endless books every day, and I might not be able to find a job after graduation. At this moment, it seems that I can't persuade myself.
From being "ignored" to being "discriminated against", are liberal arts really useless?
I have seen such a sentence: "Science determines the height, and liberal arts determines the depth." People create culture, and culture also shapes people. Chinese civilization is the only civilization in the world that has never been interrupted, and Chinese culture is our greatest confidence. Educate people with culture and educate people with culture. Chinese culture is constantly developing in the inheritance of generations of Chinese people. The system makes our lives orderly, the law makes us feel the fairness and justice of society, and education allows us to open up a new world. Imagine today, if there is no profound cultural heritage, will there be a prosperous China? If there is no strong theoretical support, will there be a strong China? Only by strengthening confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture can we promote the historical journey of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization.
Whether we are students of arts or science, we must carry forward the "nail-driving spirit" and shine in our own fields. "More skills are better than less." Learn more skills to create more opportunities for yourself. Create and realize your own life value in the unity of individuals and society.
